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Wednesday, December 5, 1973
THIRTY DIE ON BUILDING SITES THIS YEAR
Apathy Towards Safety Precautions Criticised
The number of accidents on Hong Kong construction sites leapt
by 70 per cent in October, bringing the monthly toll to three dead and
509 injured.
So far this year, accidents on construction sites have claimed
30 lives and injured 3,653 workers. A very large number of the injured have
been crippled for life.
The Commissioner of Labour, Mr. I.R. Price, said today that in
the past 10 years there had been more than 28,000 accidents in the construction
industry; and these accounted for one fifth of all accidents at work during
the same period.
"Unless building contractors and their workers appreciate the
magnitude of the problem, and urgently take remedial measures, the situation
will continue to get worse, he warned.
Mr. Price stressed he was not talking about statistics, but of human
lives and suffering.
The tragedy is that nearly all of these accidents could have been
avoided if proper safety precautions had been taken," he added.
About 60 per cent of the accidents were due to persons or objects
falling from heights, misuse of handtools, incorrect manual lifting and
handling, and tripping over objects,
Mr. Price urged management and workers in the construction industry
to visit the department's Industrial Safety Exhibition at the CMA Fair
beginning on Tuesday, December 11.
The exhibition
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